Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest

All councils and assemblies are encouraged to sponsor the Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest at schools in their communities. The contest is open to all Catholic students — in public, private or parochial schools — in grades 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 during the current school year, and is a creative way to encourage young people to become citizens who are firmly grounded in their faith.

This year’s theme is “Going to the Peripheries.” The contest opens the doors of young minds, enabling the entrants to be creative, thoughtful and introspective in their work.

"Through his Incarnation, the Lord has united himself forever with suffering humanity — not as an abstraction, but throughout history with each suffering person. Jesus is already at the peripheries. The question for us is whether He will be there alone or whether His disciples will be there with Him." – Supreme Knight Carl Anderson

2017-2018 Essay Contest Theme:
Discuss the role of the Catholic Church going to the peripheries, then select one of the following ideas to complete your essay:
a) Describe the work of one widely known current Catholic who went to the periphery.
b) Describe the work of one widely known historical Catholic who went to the periphery.
c) Describe the work of one person in your life, who helps alleviate human suffering.

First place winners will receive a check for $300, and two runners-up for each grade level will receive $100, awarded by Knights of Columbus Supreme Council.

January: International Essay Contest Winners announced by the Supreme Council Office

Guidelines

• Essays must reflect the assigned theme and topic, and be submitted by the published deadline. • Essays must be the student’s original work. • Essays must be typed on 8 ½” X 11” paper, one sided, double spaced, with one-inch margins. • Essays must be between 500 and 750 words long. • The student’s name should appear only on the official Knights of Columbus Essay Contest entry form which should be stapled to the essay. • All entries become the property of the Knights of Columbus and will not be returned.

Sponsoring Organization – The Knights of Columbus Essay Contest is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. The official responsible for the contest is the grand knight of the sponsoring council, or faithful navigator of the sponsoring assembly.

Awards – Certificates for first, second and third place winners, and certificates of participation for all entrants, are included in the essay contest kit.

Additional certificates are available from the Supreme Council office free of charge. It is recommended that councils consider monetary awards in the range of $100 to $250 in the form of savings bonds or cash to first place winners. It is also recommended that a special certificate or plaque be given to the school of the champion of each division. The school could then place the award in its trophy case or otherwise display it in the school.

Support Materials

All the materials needed by councils to participate in the Knights of Columbus Essay Contest are included in the Essay Contest KIT (EA-Kit). Please allow four weeks to ensure delivery by the event. The kit includes the following items:

Thematic Resources

Judging

Judges will be selected by the sponsoring Knights of Columbus council or assembly. Council, assembly members, clergy, civic officials and/or members of the community may serve as judges.

Essays will be judged on a 100-point scoring system:

35 points: Content — How clearly is the theme presented?

30 points: Grammar — How well is the essay written with respect to sentence structure, paragraph construction and spelling?

35 points: Style — Does the essay show creativity, imagination and development of the topic in a compelling style?

Winners

The theme of the 2016-17 essay contest was “The Importance of Religious Freedom.” The following are the International Contest Winners:

Grade Level

Place

Student

Council

City/Jurisdiction

8

Winner

Mary Catherine Warner

367

Norfolk, VA

8

Runner Up

Alyse Saucedo

9332

Spring Valley, CA

8

Runner Up

Nicole Boccalon

1454

Hamilton, ON

9

Winner

Alexandra Wettengel

7914

Hollywood, MD

9

Runner Up

Marialena Mouaikei

7364

Adams, NY

9

Runner Up

Jackson Bevier Dill

7502

Northglenn, CO

10

Winner

Alexa Greenwald

1685

Shakopee, MN

10

Runner Up

Phillip Le

13467

Virginia Beach, VA

10

Runner Up

Madeleine Lange

930

Cascade, IA

11

Winner

Sarah Neubecker

1445

Canandaigua, NY

11

Runner Up

David Mantese

1155

Manchester, CT

11

Runner Up

Anna Marino

568

Burlington, IA

12

Winner

Mary Bern Yaeger

4304

Homewood, AL

12

Runner Up

Henry Queen

15161

Atlanta, GA

12

Runner Up

Valerie Doze

5341

East Grand Forks, ND

Tell Us About Your Programs

Help us improve the Service Program activities offered by the Supreme Council office by sending reports on your council’s successful activities and/or any suggestions you may have on improving our programs. Send this information to Fraternal Mission Dept., Service Program Suggestions, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326 or contact us. Please include “Service Program Suggestions” in the subject line.